Here’s Why You’re Failing At Social Media

Back in August I was scrolling through images on Instagram until I eventually arrived at a profile page of a local company who did the kind of high-end installs I knew a client needed. Who would have thought time on Instagram would be productive - even work related - I pondered!

Yet unfortunately, my appreciation for Instagram as a potential business tool has been somewhat weakened given its now November and the company still hasn’t replied…

Of course, I’ve since gone the more traditional route and found a solution for my client elsewhere. That doesn’t stop it being frustrating that a company has bothered to ‘get with the kids’ and joined Instagram, even to the point that they have been merrily posting photos since I contacted them, yet isn’t aware that there is a hot lead sitting in their Instagram inbox from 3 months ago.

If you’re not following, you only get notified of messages in Instagram if you are actively ‘following’ that person within the app. Otherwise they are simply ‘message requests’, which you manually have to check for.

Now, I’m not saying your business needs to jump on Instagram (in fact, you probably shouldn't). The point of sharing my experience is to highlight an issue to those who aren’t Millennials or in Generation Z (that’s those born after 1995, which scarily means they could be as old as 23) – know your buyers! Otherwise, the likelihood is you’re pouring your time and money down the drain.

89% do their research on you before getting in touch

People don’t like being sold to, and the reality is you may not even get the opportunity to tell people why your business is great if your online presence stops them from picking up the phone in the first place.

People don’t like taking risks, and it’s important you consistently build trust to get over their desire to settle for the status quo (it’s a HUGE issue for small businesses that I will be going into next time).

Try it now: search for your company name on Google. Are there reviews showing? First step is having some, otherwise why on earth should people trust you? Consider this – 84% of people trust online reviews as they do their friends' opinions .

In an incredibly competitive environment, ‘social proof’ is important; don’t expect people to take your word for it – testimonials and case studies should be on your website and throughout your social media consistently to demonstrate that you are established and trustworthy.

73% of Millennial workers are involved in purchasing decisions

Bringing some focus to my Instagram experience, the above statistic demonstrates that people want to communicate in different ways. And no, that doesn’t mean you need to call people bro, or bae (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, best brush up on the latest slang ).

Whilst older generations may be keen to meet face-to-face and listen to persuasive facts and research in person, our younger colleagues want to do all the research upfront – make sure you cater for both groups.

Younger generations are more inclined to use the likes of messaging apps and live chat to communicate. If you’re only just aware that it’s important for your website to be mobile-friendly, you may be already behind the curve on this.

If you’re sat there thinking you are struggling to update the likes of your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube channels as it is, question why you have them at all. I would argue having a Twitter feed which hasn’t been updated for a year is a big red flag – it just shows you have limited resources.

Trust is an important factor in the purchasing process, no matter your age, no matter the situation. Take a step back and consider the image your business portrays before you waste more time on social media which is returning zero value to your business.

Interested in reading more about how you can win more business? I’ve talked to Start Up Donut about punching above your weight. And if you’re struggling to manage your online presence and reputation, we’re here to help !